We grew up in
Montana, Len on the prairie and Kit in the Rockies. We met on a blind date
arranged by one of Len’s college roommates, who was dating Kit’s sister. A highlight of our dating years was a six-week
USO trip to entertain GIs in Germany, as members of a 12-voice university
singing group.
We married at
Christmas 1964 and moved to ND, home of snirt (mixed snow and blowing dirt) and
snowmen that don’t melt for five months! Len got his master’s degree and Kit
began teaching. Then we moved on to KY
where people eat jam cake and spoon bread and say things like, “Ah have a good
ideal.” Kit taught in an experimental elementary
school and Len earned his MD. A rotation
in Appalachia showed us that Dogpatch was not just in the Sunday funnies –
but the glorious landscape there was created by God.
We took our KY babe son
to UT where we added three daughters while Len did his specialty training. Then to Boston: It was gaw-jus and we had lots of good idears
(and a second son) there. We drank
sodas, wore jerseys, and Kit carried a pocketbook. Ironically, our first septic and well was in
MA, not MT. We bonded with the seashore
and loved tripping over the history all around us.
Southern MN had a
rural, familiar feel after increasingly large cities. Winters were harsh, chinooks unknown. We loved the wonderful birds, trees, hills,
and lakes. Our last child, a son, was
born there, and we stayed for over two decades before transferring to AZ.
Len’s career included
clinical research and writing lots of papers and some books (tomes, for
certain) as well as treating patients.
All that led to many speaking engagements to pass on what he learned to
doctors in far-away places. The family members
rotated tagging along and we all enlarged our understanding of the world while keeping
our dad/husband company.
Our children spread
their wings and married enough years ago that by now they have blessed us with
many grandchildren to love. We are
scattered across the country and cherish times we have together because our
family members are among our greatest treasures. The friends we have added over the moves and
through the years have also enriched our lives immeasurably.
Since retirement, we have escaped from the Valley of the Sun, where we live most of the year, to mountains in Utah for milder summers. We go walking most days of the week for exercise and the joy of being outdoors. Reading is another pastime that is high on our list. Music has been a lifelong interest for us and for all our clan. In the pursuit of making music, we have made lots of marvelous memories and experienced a couple of highly embarrassing moments!
Since retirement, we have escaped from the Valley of the Sun, where we live most of the year, to mountains in Utah for milder summers. We go walking most days of the week for exercise and the joy of being outdoors. Reading is another pastime that is high on our list. Music has been a lifelong interest for us and for all our clan. In the pursuit of making music, we have made lots of marvelous memories and experienced a couple of highly embarrassing moments!
In our more than half a century together we have been fortunate
to have many wonderful opportunities and a few challenges, which have helped us
grow and develop. We are especially
grateful for numerous occasions to serve Heavenly Father and our fellow men
along the way.
We look forward to our new adventure among the people of
Fresno.
